Venetian blind construction



E. E. SCHAEFER 2,589,147

March 11, 1952 VENETIAN BLIND CONSTRUCTION 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 Filed Oct. 17, 1947 INVENTOR.

E. E. SCHAEFER 2,589,147

VENETIAN BLIND CONSTRUCTION March 11, 1952" Filed 001;. 17, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 56 6. I INVENTOR. Edward flfic/zaefen 5 km, ig

Patented Mar. 11, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VENETIAN BLIND CONSTRUCTION Application October 17, 1947, Serial No. 780,599

4 Claims. (Cl. 160173) This invention relates to an improved Venetian blind construction and more particularly to a novel means for detachably fastening the raising and lowering cords to the blind.

In the conventional Venetian blind a horizontal tilting rail is provided having secured thereto a plurality of depending ladder tapes each of which comprises a pair of front and rear parallel tapes connected at intervals by cross-linking rungs. Horizontal slats are supported one above the other by the rungs of the ladder tap-es, and the tapes are fastened at their lower ends to a horizontal bottom rail. A tilting mechanism is operatively connected to the titling rail for opening and closing the slats of the blind. Operating cords for raising and lowering the blind extend downwardly from the tilting rail through a series of aligned openings in the slats and are secured to the bottom rail.

The great inconvenience encountered in the cleaning of the conventional Venetian blind has long been recognized as a major problem in the maintenance and care of Venetian blinds. Because the raising and lowering cords passed vertically through the slats it was impossible to withdraw the slats laterally from the ladder tapes until the cords had first been removed. Such cord removal was accomplished only with difficulty because the cords themselves were secured either by knots or by nails or other like means which prevented ready detachment. convenience and difiiculty were so great that considerable development work has been directed toward a blind in which the cords do not pass through the slats but are disposed at the outer edges thereof. However, most of the proposed structures have proved unsatisfactory in practice either because the slats are not held securely enough to the ladder tapes and are prone to undergo unsightly lateral displacement, or

because the method of attachment of the slatsinvolves complex and inconvenient fastening de vices such as clips, hooks, etc.

In the Venetian blind construction of the pres-' ent invention the slats are of the conventional slotted type but are rendered readily removableby the provision of a novel and simple device for detaching the raising and lowering cords from the blind. Obviously, once the cords are detached, they can be pulled through the openings in the slats and the slats may then be removed The in- Accordingly the principal object of the present invention is to provide a Venetian blind construction in which the raising and lowering cords are detachably secured to the blind and may be readily unfastened to permit removal of the slats.

A further objectof the invention is to provide, in a Venetian blind, a novel detachable cord fastening and rail supporting device adapted to be permanently secured to the end of a raising and lowering cord.

An additional object of the invention is to provide, in a Venetian blind, a detachable cord fastening device for attachment to the end of a raising and lowering cord which also functions to secure the lower end of a ladder tape to the bottom rail of the blind.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a Venetian blind, a novel device for detachably fastening the end of a raising and lowering cord to the bottom rail of a Venetian blind, which device has in combination therewith a snap fastener structure adapted to secure the ladder tape to the bottom rail.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevational View of an assembled two-tape Venetian blind showing the essential component parts thereof;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the bottom rail of Fig. 1 showing the attachment of the ladder tapes thereto Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-4 of Fig. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing in detail one form of the detachable cord fastening means comprising the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view of an assembled four-tape Venetian blind embodying a modified form of detachable cord fastening means;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective view of the form of detachable cord fastener shown in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of a portion of the bottom rail of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line l-l of Fig. 6, looking in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 8 is a plan view of one of the elements of the device shown in Fig. 3.

In the assembled two-tape Venetian blind shown in Fig. 1, an upper housing or head rail I I is provided, and pivotally mounted thereunder is a horizontal tilting rail I2 connected to a tilting mechanism i3 which is operable in the conventional manner by a cord M for tilting the rail 12 forwardly or backwardly to open and close the blind. Two depending ladder tapes l6 are fastened at their upper ends to the tilting rail l2 and are secured at their lower ends to a horizontal bottom rail H. A plurality of horizontal slats l8 are supported by means of the transverse rungs (not shown) extending between the forward and rear tape members of each of the ladder tapes l6. Raising and lowering cords |9 extend downwardly from the head rail I I through a plurality of aligned slotted openings (not shown) in the slats l8 and are detachably secured at their lower ends to the bottom rail l1 by means comprising the present invention and hereinafter described in greater detail.

In Figs. 2 and 3 one specific form of the detachable cord fastening device of the present invention is illustrated. To the end of the raising and lowering cord l9, and elongated, ferrule or tubular shank 2| is permanently secured by means of a fastening pin 22 extending diametrically through the shank 2| at its upper end. The shank 2| extends downwardly through an opening provided in the bottom rail l1 and has attached to its projecting lower end an integral therewith a snap fastener head 23. A circumferential flange 24 of smaller diameter than the opening 20 projects horizontally from the shank 2| above the snap fastener head 23 and serves to engage and support a slat-supporting washer 26. The slat-supporting washer 26 having a center opening therein is slidably and detachably mounted on the shank 2|, the under face of the washer engaging the flanged portion 24 of the shank 2| and the upper face of the washer engaging the surface of a recess 21 provided in the under side of the rail As best seen in Fig. 8 the washer 26 has a central opening providing a sliding fit over the shank 2| and also has a radial slot 28 cut through to the opening 25 which is narrow in at least one place than the diameter of the shank 2| so that the washer cannot be detached laterally from the shank but is wide enough to permit the cord I!) to be forced diamterically therethrough.

The lower ends of the individual tape members of the ladder tape I6 extend underneath the under side of the rail H where their extreme end portions are turned inwardly toward the rail and fastened together in a novel manner by a single stitching 29. One of the ends of the ladder tape I6 is longer than the other and extends underneath and across the bottom rail H to its other side where it is secured to the outer section of the tape which is shorter. If desired, only one of the tape ends may be doubled back upon itself and the other tape end may be disposed in overlaping relation therewith so that the end edges of the tapes are in alignment. Thus a single stitching suflices to secure them together and a neat seam is presented with no loose tape ends showing these ends being concealed against the bottom rail H.

A center opening I5 is provided in the longer end section of the tape l6 over which is fitted a female or socket member 3| of a snap fastener. As shown clearly in Fig. 3, the detachable cord fastening device comprising the shank 2| having the snap fastener head 23 and the washer 26 accomplishes a three-fold purpose: (1) the cord H! is secured to the bottom rail IT for raising and lowering the blind, (2) the washer 26 supports the bottom rail H, and (3) the snap fastener head 23 engages the socket member 3| thereby securing the ladder tape It to the under surface of the bottom rail I! for tiltingv purposes and clamping the washer securely in position between the under surface of the recess 21 and the head 23.

In Figs. 4 to '7, a modified form of the detachable cord fastening device comprising the present invention for use in conjunction with a fourtape Venetian blind is shown wherein the cords terminate at the head rail. It is to be understood, however, that the modified form has application to a bottom rail and may be there utilized in a satisfactory manner. In the assembled view of the blind illustrated in Fig. 4, a tilting rail 40 is pivotally mounted beneath the head rail 4| and is connected with a tilting mechanism 42 for opening and closing the blind. Four ladder tapes 43, secured at their upper ends to the tilting rail 40, extend downwardly and are fastened at their lower ends to the bottom rail 44, the rungs of the ladder tapes providing lateral support for a plurality of horizontal slats 46. In this form of the device, however, the ends of the raising and lowering cord 41 extend from a looped operating portion 48 over a pulley 49, horizontally within the head rail 4| over a pair of upper pulleys 50 and 5|, thence downwardly through a plurality of aligned openings (not shown) in the slats 46 to a pair of lower pulleys 52 and 53 disposed in the bottom rail 44, horizontally and outwardly along the bottom rail 44 to a pair of outer pulleys 54 and 56, thence upwardly through other aligned openings (not shown) in the slats 46, the ends of the cord 41 emerging above the tilting rail 40.

As shown more clearly in Fig. 5, each end of the operating cord 4'! then extends through an eye 51 fastened to the under side of the head rail 4| and then horizontally to a second eye 58 also attached to the under side of the head rail 4|. The eye 58 is similar to the washer 26 of Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive. The detachable cord fastening devicein this case comprises an elongated tubular shank 59 permanently secured at one end to the ends of the raising and lowering cord 41 by means of crimped portions serving the same i purpose as the pin 22 of the embodiment shown is narrower than the diameter of the shank 59 but wide enough to allow the cord 47 to be forced diametrically therethrough. The opening of the other eye 51 is of sufiicient size to permit the shank 59 and its flange 60 to pass therethrough for assembly and attachment. The eye 51 is in alignment with the slat slots and serves to change the direction of the cord 41 to the retaining washer eye 58, but it is apparent that it could be entirely eliminated and the washer eye 58 arranged horizontally, instead of vertically, in alignment with the slats in the slots.

In this form of the invention, the detachable cord fastener serves only to detachably secure the ends of the cord 41 to the blind and does not support the bottom rail 44 or secure the lower end of the ladder tapes 43 thereto as in the case of the device illustrated in Figs. 1 to 3. The lower ends of the individual tape members of the ladder tapes 43 are turned inwardly toward the rail and stitched as at 63 at the under side of the rail 44 in the same manner as shown in Fig. 3. A snap fastener socket member 64 is fitted into a center opening 66 provided in the long ends of the tapes 43 and is adapted to engage a snap fastener head 61 of a screw 68 afiixed to the under side of the bottom rail I! as shown in Fig. 7.

By means of the detachable cord fastener of the present invention, the raising and lowering cords may be detached from the Venetian blind by a quick and simple operation requiring no tools and relatively slight mechanical ability. The detachable fasteners are in positions readily accessible to the operator and may be manipulated without discomfort or strain. In disassembling the blind shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive, the snap fastener socket 3| is'first disengaged from the snap fastener head 23 after which the ladder tape l6 may be displaced laterally to expose the recess 2'l. The bottom rail 11 is then raised a sufiicient distance to permit the washer 26 to be moved longitudinally along the shank 2! onto the cord [9 at which point the washer may be removed entirely by forcing the cord l9 outwardly through the radial opening 28 in the washer. The supporting washer 26 having been removed, the cord 19 and the shank 2| may now be raised upwardly through the opening 20 in the rail H and the openings in the slats l8 to permit lateral removal of the latter for cleaning. The blind may be reassembled by reversing the above series of steps.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figs. 4 to '7, inclusive, the raising and lowering cord 41 is readily removed by sliding the shank 59 and cord 41 inwardly toward the center of the blind until the shank 59 has cleared the opening 6| in the eye 58. The cord is then forced diametrically through the radial opening 62. Thereafter, the cord 41 and shank 59 may be withdrawn through the larger eye 51 and through the openings in the slats 46 to permit removal of the slats. If it is desired to remove the bottom rail 44 also for cleaning, the snap fastener sockets 64 at the bottom of each ladder tape 43 may be disengaged from the snap fastener heads 61 to permit lateral removal of the rail 44. The blind may be reassembled by following the above steps in reverse order.

It will be understood that modifications and variations, other than the specific forms of the invention herein described, may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A detachable cord fastening device for a Venetian blind comprising an elongated shank adapted to be secured at its upper portion to an end of a raising and lowering cord and to extend through a rail in supporting relation therewith, and a tape-securin means comprising a snapfastener head on the lower end of said shank and a. snap-fastener socket adapted to be secured in a tape for cooperation with said head whereby to detachably secure the cord and tape in place adjacent the rail.

2. In a Venetian blind structure, a horizontal rail having an opening therethrough to receive the end of a raising and lowering cord, an elongated shank secured at its upper portion to the end of said cord, a slat-supporting tape passing under said rail, and means for securing said tape to the end of said shank comprising a snapfastener head on the lower end of the shank and a snap-fastener socket secured to said tape and adapted to receive said snap-fastener head for detachably securing the cord and tape in place adjacent the rail.

3. A detachable cord fastening device for a, Venetian blind comprising an elongated shank adapted to be secured to an end of a raising and lowering cord and to extend through a rail in supporting relation therewith, means for holding said shank to prevent movement of the cord relative to the slats of the blind comprisin a laterally directed projecting portion on said shank and a rail-supporting member detachably connected with said shank and having an interior opening in which said shank is axially slidable of lesser extent than said projecting portion and a radial opening extending from said interior opening to the marginal edge of the member, said radial opeing being narrower than the thickness of said shank but wide enough to permit said cord to pass therethrough to said interior opening, and a tapesecuring means comprising a snap fastener head on the lower end of said shank and a snap fastener socket adapted to be secured in a tape for cooperation with said head whereby to detachably secure the cord and tape in place adjacent the rail.

4. In a Venetian blind structure, a horizontal rail having an opening therethrough to receive the end of a raising and lowering cord, an elongated shank secured at is upper portion to the end of said cord, a slat-supporting tape passing under said rail, and means for securing said tape to the end of said shank comprising a tape-fastening element at the lower end of said shank and a complementary tape-fastening element secured in said tape, said complementary tape-fastening element being frictionally engageable with said first-named tape-fastening element for detachably securing the cord and tape in place adjacent the rail.

EDWARD E. SCHAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,500,389 Holmes July 8, 1924 1,685,061 Carr Sept. 18, 1928 2,071,791 Hendricks Feb. 23, 1937 2,486,492 Redman Nov. 1, 1941 2,314,461 Schaefer Mar. 23, 1948 

